Spartaco Fontano
Encyclopedia
Spartaco Fontano was one of the members of the French resistance shot at Mont Valérien as a member of the Manouchian group. He was an Italian
volunteer soldier in the French liberation army FTP-MOI
. His name is one of the ten featured on the "affiche rouge
", the propaganda
poster displayed by the German
s during the trial of the 23 members of the Manouchian
group. His photograph is also on the poster, with the caption "Fontanot, Italian communist, 12 attacks".
, in the province of Gorizia
in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, Italy
. He arrived in France at the age of two, his antifascist parents having been obliged to leave Italy when Benito Mussolini
came to power.
After elementary school, he took classes at the technical college of Puteaux
, which he left with a "certificate of professional aptitude" as a fitter, turner, and draftsman. His wish was to become an engineer, but his parents were not able to help him pursue his studies, and he started at a small factory as a turner. He still harbored the ambition to become an engineer by taking night classes at the École des Arts et Métiers in Paris
.
(FFI). Unable to divide his efforts, he stopped taking night courses.
In March 1943, the police came to arrest his father and sister. A wanted man, he was forced to quit his parental home.
He took part in numerous attacks and sabotages against the occupying forces and against German officers, notably at Rueil, Place de la Concorde
, and even bus stations. Of note are the assassination operations he undertook against :fr:Julius Ritter, and against General von Schaumburg, the commandant of greater Paris. He also sabotaged many electricity pylons and was rated as an excellent shot. Because of his command experience as the head of an operational detachment under the command of Missak Manouchian
, he was appointed lieutenant in the French Forces of the Interior
, the FFI (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur).
Arrested in Paris by the police on 13 November 1943, Fontano did not give them any information. He was transferred to Fresnes prison
and sentenced by the military court; his execution took place on 21 February 1944 at Mont Valérien along with 21 of his comrades.
Spartaco Fontano was the one of three heroes in his family; Jacques Fontano (18 years old) and Nérone Fontano also gave their lives for the liberation of France nm,bm,.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
volunteer soldier in the French liberation army FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
. His name is one of the ten featured on the "affiche rouge
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
", the propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
poster displayed by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
s during the trial of the 23 members of the Manouchian
Missak Manouchian
Missak Manouchian was a French poet of Armenian birth, a militant communist in the MOI , and military commissioner of the FTP-MOI in the Paris region...
group. His photograph is also on the poster, with the caption "Fontanot, Italian communist, 12 attacks".
Early years
Spartaco Fontano was born on 17 January in MonfalconeMonfalcone
Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....
, in the province of Gorizia
Province of Gorizia
The Province of Gorizia is a province in the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of Italy.-Overview:Its capital is the city of Gorizia. It belonged to the Province of Udine between 1924 and 1927 and the communes of Sonzia, Plezzo, Bergogna, Caporetto, Tolmino, Circhina, Santa Lucia d'Isonzo,...
in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He arrived in France at the age of two, his antifascist parents having been obliged to leave Italy when Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
came to power.
After elementary school, he took classes at the technical college of Puteaux
Puteaux
Puteaux is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department from the center of Paris....
, which he left with a "certificate of professional aptitude" as a fitter, turner, and draftsman. His wish was to become an engineer, but his parents were not able to help him pursue his studies, and he started at a small factory as a turner. He still harbored the ambition to become an engineer by taking night classes at the École des Arts et Métiers in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Second world war
At the time of the German occupation in 1941, Fontano quickly devoted himself to the armed struggle, and, in 1942, he volunteered for the FTP's immigrant section in the Paris region, a part of the French forces of the interiorFrench Forces of the Interior
The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...
(FFI). Unable to divide his efforts, he stopped taking night courses.
In March 1943, the police came to arrest his father and sister. A wanted man, he was forced to quit his parental home.
He took part in numerous attacks and sabotages against the occupying forces and against German officers, notably at Rueil, Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
, and even bus stations. Of note are the assassination operations he undertook against :fr:Julius Ritter, and against General von Schaumburg, the commandant of greater Paris. He also sabotaged many electricity pylons and was rated as an excellent shot. Because of his command experience as the head of an operational detachment under the command of Missak Manouchian
Missak Manouchian
Missak Manouchian was a French poet of Armenian birth, a militant communist in the MOI , and military commissioner of the FTP-MOI in the Paris region...
, he was appointed lieutenant in the French Forces of the Interior
French Forces of the Interior
The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...
, the FFI (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur).
Arrested in Paris by the police on 13 November 1943, Fontano did not give them any information. He was transferred to Fresnes prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
and sentenced by the military court; his execution took place on 21 February 1944 at Mont Valérien along with 21 of his comrades.
Spartaco Fontano was the one of three heroes in his family; Jacques Fontano (18 years old) and Nérone Fontano also gave their lives for the liberation of France nm,bm,.
See also
- Main-d'œuvre immigréeMain-d'œuvre immigréeThe Main-d'œuvre immigrée was a French trade unionist organisation, composed of immigrant workers of the Confédération générale du travail unitaire in the 1920s. The MOI was affiliated to the Profintern...
- Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée
- Affiche rougeAffiche RougeThe Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
- Brigades Spéciales
- Geheime Feld Polizei